Keeping It Currant: November 2023 Edition

Welcome back to the third issue of Keeping It Currant, a newsletter by Social Currant & Girl and the Gov®. To hit a quick rewind, this monthly newsletter is crafted to share the 411 about the creator economy and its intersection with the political and social impact space. This month’s edition features:

• A can’t-miss creator event to RSVP to (and attend)

• 3 must-try content trends for political content

• Tutorial: How to use Hidden Words to manage DMs and the comment section

• Key Campaign Q’s: What to ask when considering a campaign

• Reputation Analysis: Understanding how to get a pulse on an org’s rep

• YouTube’s up-and-coming AI disclosure rules

• Exclusive interview with political creator, Beverly Hart

• For The Team: How to use political conferences to create content and boost brand awareness

• The latest campaign opp for creators to apply for

CREATOR BRIEFING #2 FROM TEAM SOCIAL CURRANT

About: The second ever creator briefing from Social Currant is just around the corner. This briefing will focus on PR best practices for creators. Led by a PR pro, the conversation will share best practices and methods for navigating the complexities of the media and how you can leverage a partnerships strategy to better position yourself for the traditional media.

When: Thursday, December 7, 2023; 4:00-4:30 pm EST

Where: Virtual; Zoom

CURRANT CONTENT TRENDS & STYLES

When content trends meet political topics – a look at the latest concepts to take for a test drive

WE’RE GIRLS BUT MAKE IT POLITICAL

About: In its OG format, this creator highlighted things that girls do because ‘we’re girls,’ creating a series of videos on the topic and inspiring a larger trend. The ‘We’re Girls’ trend can be used to highlight classic traits or behaviors that are unique to an industry, profession, or identity. Cue, this example featuring therapists that set the stage for what that means in translating the trend to a different niche. 

The Audio: N/a.

What this can be used for: This trend can be used to showcase a set of traits, preferences, or actions associated with a particular group of people. It could be a set of civic actions, like voter prep or it could be a set of political issue preferences based on generation, or location. Whichever route is taken, a pattern should be evident.

Try it out:

• Select the traits and/or idiosyncrasies of that role - ex: “we’re going to vote for climate justice, we're Gen-Z.” Try for 5-6 traits.

• Have a content partner film the creator walking and talking at this angle.

• While filming, follow the attitude and tone of the original video when verbally delivering each trait.

• Add a caption that shares the “We’re ____.”

ABSOLUTELY NOT

About: Everyone has their own non-negotiables. This audio and content trend is all about a creator sharing theirs via Instagram Reels. 

The Audio: Find it here.

What this can be used for: This content concept can be used to share non-negotiables related to politics. For example, a non-negotiables for a creator might be voting for a candidate that takes money from PACs. Another example of a non-negotiables for a creator might be that climate change is real [it is BTW]. The resulting content can vary and depends on the creator's preferences -- and specifically what preferences they wish to share.

Try it out:

• The creator should act out the audio. An example to follow can be found here. 

• The text added to the video should be the hypothetical question the creator was asked. Ex: “Would you ever compromise on protecting our national parks?”

• The caption can further explain the creator’s reasoning for why this is a non-negotiable for them.

THE BIG REVEAL

About: Big reveals need a grand entrance tune to make them pop. This content concept connects a classic big screen audio with videos sharing something new, important, or exciting (or all of the above) on the small screen.

The Audio: Find it here.

What this can be used for: This audio and content concept can be used to showcase the result of an election or an advocacy campaign. It can be used to share the fruits of a voter turnout effort. And it can also be used to reveal a partnership between a creator and a thought leader that are teaming up on behalf of an issue.

Try it out:

• First identify what will be revealed.

• The creator should then take a video like this – starting the film below the reveal and making its way up to a full showcase.

• Add text at the start of the video to tease what will be revealed. Ex: “When you call on young voters…” 

• Followed by adding text at the end of the video declaring what’s revealed. Following the example above: “...they turn out in massive numbers.”

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

Everyone has an opinion – here's advice on how to manage them

BLOCKING WORDS AND EMOJIS: Hate toward creators can be ultra-targeted, calling out something specific about their being that falls far from the ‘constructive criticism’ category. And often, emojis come into play because the classic phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” still very much applies – and in the case of emojis, implies a certain intent. So, what to do about it? We’ll start this out by saying that to block or not to block is a personal decision. Some creators are anti-block, and others embrace it. There’s no wrong way to approach it – it’s creator specific. That said, if your comment section finds itself to be the #1 club for hate messages that are hindering your ability to do what you love, we do want to make sure you’re equipped to manage it. Cue, the how-to-block emojis on Instagram that don’t pass the smell test tutorial:

• Login to your Instagram account and go to your profile.

• Tap the hamburger icon in the upper right hand corner.

• Select Settings and privacy.

• Scroll to find Hidden Words – click on it.

• Toggle on the settings you’d like to implement.

• Scroll to find ‘Manage custom words and phrases.’ – yes, somehow this does include emojis despite the name.

• Add words, phrases, and emojis that are just NOT it. Type and hit add.

• To see what’s on your list or make edits, click on ‘Tap to view your list.’

You can always revise your list and update it according to new or changing preferences on how you’d like to manage your comment section and also message requests. People (and bots) love to say the most out of pocket things – don’t let it stop you from creating meaningful content and communication between you and your followers. 

THE SMELL TEST

How do you know if an opp is fishy or the gold standard? Let’s get into it.

TO PARTNER OR NOT TO PARTNER: When navigating the decision making process for potential partnerships, it’s important to do a gut check. In other words, a bit of introspection on the opportunity, looking at the positive versus negative potential outcomes for you as a creator. But, how do you guide that moment of reflection and analysis? By putting these questions to the task:

• What is the aim of the campaign?

• Are your followers the target audience of the campaign? Would they be interested in its contents?

• What is the reputation of the organizers behind the campaign?

• What would associating with the organizers do for you? What doors do you think it would open?

• If you lost followers for your participation, how would that make you feel?

• Are there any conflicts of interest, from past partnerships or ones in the making?

• Does the campaign align with your values?

Evaluate your answers to these questions in relation to a campaign you’re considering. If you feel like they largely lean positive and beneficial for what you want to do with your platform, then you have your answer. In the same way, if the answers largely lean negative for the aims of your platform, you also have your answer. Not every campaign will be a fit, and that’s okay. Being picky is not a bad thing – being picky and particular is what makes your content and your audience unique. Lean into that fact!

REPUTATION ANALYSIS - HOW TO GET THE SCOOP ON AN ORG: It’s often hard to get a pulse on how an organization or an individual is perceived at large. It gets even harder to see through the weeds with political orgs because of the bias around their views or issue area standpoints. However, an org is much more than where they stand on an issue. Just as a regular company operates, an org may be known for good or bad employment practices; they may be known for a distinct culture; they may be known for their donors – there’s another layer to consider beneath their political POVs. There is a lot to every story, and there are ways to go FBI-agent in training to find out the gist. A few means and methods:

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Take a look at who opens their wallets to the orgs and how often. Once you’ve seen who and what has added their money to the org’s pot, ask the question of “why is it beneficial for that person or group to donate to this org?” followed by “what is the connection between the donors and the org?” Get hot on the money trail by using:

• CauseIQ

• Charity Navigator

• Guidestar

• Opensecrets.org

THE BIG THREE: Ask at least three people in your circle if they’ve heard of the org. Then ask what they think of the org, as well as what they know about it. Ask these questions without saying that you’re considering working with them first to get their natural and preliminary reaction to hearing the name of the org. Then, with the various claims or opinions they’ve espoused about the org, take to Google and verify or debunk the claims for one’s self. Regardless, it provides you with a sampling of the conversation that happens around that particular org. If no one in your orbit has heard of them, that’s not necessarily an L, but keep it mind.

THE FOLLOWING: This mode is relatively variable – people or orgs often follow the accounts of those that they don’t agree with, partner with, or jive with in any way; it can be the ol’ “keep your friends close and enemies closer” approach on social media. However, it can be helpful to see who or what is following an org’s largest form of social media. Take a look at the characters that are tuning into what they say to see where their core audience lies. Generally speaking, you will be able to see a sway one way or the other. Ex: 15 top liberal pundits follow the account versus 7 conservative pundits.

PAST PARTNERS: Take a look at what creators the org has worked with in the past. What niche are these creators? What are their views and how do they express them outside of the realm of the partnership? In what capacity does it appear that the org worked with them? If they worked on a Reel for example, what’s the language like in the video? What’s the aim? It might seem like the game of 20 questions, but asking them as you peruse will help you get a pulse on how they operate from a marketing lens. All that to be said, since the creator world is still new to some orgs, they may not have any prior partnerships. That’s not a bad thing, it just means that it’s not a point in which you can judge their rep. The one thing to note, is if that is the case, they may need a bit more handholding when partnering than orgs that have worked in the creator space previously.

THE GOOGLE SEARCH: It’s a classic for a reason. Take a general search through articles discussing the org. In doing so, make sure to read through the op-eds – even searching the name of the org + the term “op-ed” or “opinion.” These will naturally be biased, but will help build out the landscape of how the org is viewed.

THE LONG GAME: This is perhaps best for after a partnership has gone live – adding a Google Alert for the org to your line-up. This will keep you up to speed on how they’re being perceived and how their reputation evolves or remains the same. It’s like ‘keeping tabs minimal effort edition’.

THE TIKTOK SEARCH: In addition to a Google search, it’s worth taking a moment to pop the org’s name into the search bar on TikTok. If videos discussing the org pop up, view, but with a critical ear. Whether it’s on Google or on TikTok, ask yourself “who is the poster – is it a fellow influencer?” “Is it a news org?” “What is guiding their viewpoint?” It may tell you a bit about how they’re viewed, but as we note in the next suggestion, it can get iffy.

WHERE IT GETS IFFY → THE COMMENT(S) SECTION: While in past days and times we may have recommended checking out a comment section for an org as a key way to gauge public opinion, the comment sections have become bot farm central. As a result, it’s hard to get an idea of what’s a real opinion and what’s a bot with a realistic profile picture saying some nonsense. Is it worth taking a look? Sure – but with caution. 

RULES & REGS

Guidance to keep you coloring and creating within the FTC-approved and platform-approved lines

YOUTUBE X AI DISCLOSURES: In the last issue of Keeping It Currant, we discussed the new AI disclosure requirements for creators on TikTok. In this issue, we’re talking about the new AI disclosure requirements for creators on YouTube. The platform has announced that any content made using its own AI generative tools will automatically be marked as such. For content made using AI otherwise, the platform has shared that creators will soon be required to toggle on a label. The tool that will enable the label to be turned on by the creator per video is in the process of being rolled out, but expect it not long from now. As always, make sure to keep your social media apps updated to the latest version to ensure that new tools and features can be utilized. 

In addition to these soon-to-be-required disclosures, the platform is also working on tools that protect creators from others that are using their voice or likeness in AI-generated content without their permission. In cases where content is simulating an individual – their likeness or voice – the individual can request that it’s taken down by submitting a privacy request. The result of the content being taken down is not guaranteed. The full process and considerations can be read up on here.

IN THE NEWS → FTC WARNS TWO TRADE ASSOCIATION INFLUENCERS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS PROMOTING CONSUMPTION OF ASPARTAME OR SUGAR

HOW THEY CREATED IT

The behind the scenes with creators and creatives that have knocked it out of the park

Meet Beverly Hart: She’s a NYC-based nonprofit director and content creator focused on politics, lifestyle, and beauty. She worked for the United States House of Representatives for five and half years and received a Masters in Public Administration from George Washington University. 

Follow Beverly on TikTok and Instagram.

What's something you wish someone told you before starting to make content?

“I wish someone had reminded me not to let perfection be the enemy of the good. In the beginning, if I noticed one hair out of place, I was like “DELETE IT ALL THIS IS TRASH.”  It’s not that deep, just start trying different things and see what sticks.” 

What would you really like to see evolve in the political content space in the coming months? Are there any change points you're excited for?

“Politics has become a dirty word and it shouldn’t be. It’s about people, it’s about real lives and you don’t need to be an expert to be a part of the conversation! Obviously, some issues are clear cut, but I’d love to see people and political content regularly engage more in  ‘agree to disagree’ conversations as we head into an election year.”

How do you get ideas for content? What does this process look like for you?

“The original intent of Twitter was to create a town square of sorts (which as we know didn’t really materialize) so I like to think of my content in that mindset. What’s fun, digestible, and devoid of vitriol in a way that attracts political and non-political friends alike? I keep a running note on my phone of ideas I get from conversations, comments, and DMs and then do some research and script out an outline from there.” 

When thinking of a dream content collab, what would it be? Who would it be with?

“I wrote a bill about transparency in cosmetics labeling (part of which passed in 2022!). Before that, there had been no federal legislation around cosmetics reform since 1938 (insane). It was seen as a ‘woman’s issue’ for decades and thus was trivialized by a mostly male legislative branch. So I would love to work with brands who have paved the way in the absence of government intervention, like RMS Beauty, Credo, Goop, BeautyCounter, etc.” 

What tips would you give to a creator on engaging their comment section?

“We all have more in common than we think and we definitely can’t win hearts and minds by only talking to the people who already agree with us. So if a conversation seems worthwhile, have it! My favorite comments have been from Republicans saying this is the first time they’ve followed a Democrat - we need to break the bubbles we all live in.” 

Interested in being featured or interviewed for this section? Let’s chat – reply to this email and we’ll get the ball rolling.

TALENT TIP

Tips n’ tricks for talent managers navigating political deals and campaign oversight

CREATORS 🤝 MEET POLITICAL CONFERENCES: Every industry has its place to “see and be seen.” In the realm of politics, that spot often is a conference. On its face, does that sound riveting? Perhaps not, because it really doesn’t scream “there’s a red carpet and step and repeat.” However, glamor or not, these are the HQs of networking, and in today’s day and age, hubs for creating meaningful, impactful political content. Conferences bring large audiences of movers and shakers across the industry into one space to discuss an issue area or areas in depth – providing the perfect opportunity for creators to not just meet with these influential attendees and grow their networks, but to create content with these leaders on site.  From covering a conference’s programming through DITL vlogs, or ‘man on the street’ interviews with thought leaders, and other content styles, political conferences provide ample opportunity for a creator to gain name recognition amongst political professionals and organizations.

It also provides a space for collaborative content between creators to be produced. Creators on site can partner with one another to develop content that showcases the conference they’re at, the learnings they’re taking away from it, and the fun that they’re having together. Collaborative content of this nature can be done spur of the moment, but it can also be thought of and strategically planned in advance. On a very basic level, coordination between teams of attending creators can happen, organizing planned content moments that are mutually beneficial – whether that’s in growing an audience, expanding into a niche, building notoriety, and so on. Taking it a step further, teams can work hand-in-hand to generate a creator coalition made up of a small group whose niches vary, that can be pitched to conference organizers as a media unit. The coalition could attend together, covering the conference from a variety of angles. The comprehensive coverage that would result would build brand awareness beyond the creators, but for the conference itself and the industry attendees. A win-win for all.

Location, location, location does sometimes mean a hotel ballroom, but most importantly it means an opportunity to create content with important players. In looking for conferences for clients to attend, start with the issue areas they’re most passionate about. From there, identify the organizations that champion those issues. Most will have at least a once-yearly event or conference that brings supporters together. That is the event you should have your eyes on. Once the possible events are on your radar, reach out to the organizers to see what they’re marketing and media plans are for the event. Your plan from there is to pitch your client to attend and cover the event. The org and conference get traction and new supporters on social media – your client gets a stepping stone into the world of professional politics.

RESOURCE DROP

Quick links and downloads to have on hand

THAT EXCEL SPREADSHEET: By popular demand, a downloadable version of the PR and partnership contact database discussed in October’s issue of Keeping It Currant, is available here.

THAT DICTIONARY: The must-have in your back pocket digital dictionary that shares the top line deats on political entities, and what you need to know about how they operate, is available here.

CAMPAIGN CORNER

Upcoming and current paid campaigns that are available now. Interested in participating? Fill out this form and we’ll get in touch with details. Please note, if you’re a talent agent we’ll be in touch with a talent agency specific form – just respond to this email!

CAMPAIGN NAME: Labor / Union Stories

Date Available Through: January 15th 2023

Platforms: IG, TT, YT 

Campaign Goal: Get more stories around the economy on a national level.

More context: We’re looking for creators who have a background / connection to labor movements or unions through their own job or family to share their stories.

👀 LOOKING TO 2024: We want your feedback! What campaigns drive you? What platforms do you prefer to make content for? What organizations would be wins to work with? What issues are core to you? We’re working on new campaigns for the new year and we want to bring you not just the best of the bunch, but opportunities that best align with your values and goals. Have an answer to these Q’s? Share ‘em with us by filling out this quick feedback form [ETA: under 2 minutes].

Thanks for tuning in – we’ll see you next month! Enjoy the scroll? Send this newsletter to a creator in your contact list.

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